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{{No footnotes|date=November 2022}}{{Short description|Eighteenth century Rajput ruler known for resistance against Mughal Empire}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox royalty
| embed =
| name = Raja Bhagwant Rai Khichi
| image = Bhagwant Rai Khichi.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Raja Bhagwant Rai Khichi with his Nephew Bhawani Singh
| moretext =
| reign = 1710-1735
| reign-type =
| coronation =
| cor-type =
| predecessor = ''Araru Singh''
| pre-type =
| successor = Rup Singh
| suc-type =
| regent =
| reg-type =
| predecessor1 =
| pre-type1 =
| successor1 =
| suc-type1 =
| regent1 =
| reg-type1 =
| succession2 = Bariar Singh
| moretext2 =
}}
Raja '''Bhagwant Rai''' was an 18th-century [[Khichi]] [[Rajput]] ruler of Asothar and Ghazipur in the [[Fatehpur district|Fatehpur District]] of the [[Indian state]] of [[Uttar Pradesh]]. He is known for his resistance against the [[Mughal Empire]] and for establishing an independent state throughtout his reign.

==Background==
The [[Khichi|Khichar]] family of Asothar is said to have been founded by Deogaj Singh. In 1543 he came from [[Khichiwara]], better known as [[Raghogarh (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Raghogarh]], in the central India state of [[Madhya Pradesh]], and married the daughter of the [[Gautam Rajput|Gautam]] Raja of Aijhi on the banks of the [[Yamuna|River Yamuna]]. Deogaj subsequently ruled those lands. Raja Bhagwant Rai was the son of Araru Singh, Deogaj's descendant. A man of ability and courage, Raja Bhagwant Rai held an effectively independent state for many years. He defeated the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] troops until he was killed in 1735, owing to the treachery of Chaudhri Durjan Singh of [[Kora Jahanabad|Kora]]. He was succeeded by his son, Rup Singh, who held his possessions in peace till his death in 1780, when he was followed by Bariar Singh.

==Patron of literature==
Raja Bhagwant Rai was a poet who wrote and sAng [[Dhrupad]] verses. He was a patron of literature, collecting minor celebrities, such as Bhudhar of Asothar, Shimbhunath Misr, and Shiam Lal of Jahanabad.

==Conflict with Mughals==
During the reign of Araru Singh and his son Bhagwant Rai, they rose to power and acquired a large estate, with headquarters at a new fort at Ghazipur [[Fatehpur district|district Fatehpur]]. It was then that the attention of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal Government]] was attracted, when faujdar of [[Kara-Manikpur|Kara]] and [[Kora Jahanabad|Kora]], Jan Nisar Khan, brother of the [[Qamar-ud-din Khan|Wazir Qamr-ud-din]], was killed by [[Khichi|Khichar]] in 1734. A large army was brought from Delhi against Ghazipur and the fort was besieged, but Bhagwant Rai escaped and took refuge in Asothar. Eventually [[Qamar-ud-din Khan|Qamr-ud-din]] abandoned the attempt and left [[Muhammad Khan Bangash]] to carry on the campaign, but Bhagwant Rai managed to get rid of him, it is said by a payment of money, and then recovered his power, getting the whole of [[Kora Jahanabad|Kora]] within his grasp. Bhagwant Rai attempted to further strengthen his position by calling in the aid of the [[Maratha Empire|Marathas]] & [[Chhatrasal|Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundela]] as well. In 1735 [[Saadat Ali Khan I|Saadat Ali Khan]], the then [[Nawab of Awadh]] (Aoudh), took a large force against Ghazipur and a severe action ensued, the [[Khichi|Khichar]] leader being at first successful defeating the significantly larger Army in a fierce Battle at Mudchaura near Ghazipur. It is said that after this battle, Bhagwant Rai and his nephew Bhawani Singh were killed by the treachery of Durjan Singh, Chaudhri of [[Kora Jahanabad|Kora]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Survey_of_Kheechi_Chauhan_History.html?id=tQVuAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y Survey of Kheechi Chauhan History], By A H Nizami & R S Kheechi
* FATEHPUR: A [https://indianculture.gov.in/gazettes/fatehpur-gazetteer-being-district-gazetteers-united-provinces-agra-and-oudh GAZETTEER], BEING VOLUME XX OF THE, DISTRICT GAZETTEER OF THE UNITED PROVINCES OF AGRA AND OUDH, BY H. R. NEVILL, I.C.S., F.R.G.S., F.S.S. ([http://ignca.gov.in/Asi_data/30822.pdf Pages] 100, 102, 156) {{Pd-notice}}
* Bhagwant Rai Khichi Aur Unke Mandal Ke Kavi(भगवंतराय खींची और उनके मंडल के कवि ), By Dr. Mahendra Pratap Singh
* Jai Singh Vinod, By contemporary Poet, [[:hi:देव (कवि)|Dev]] (देव कवि कृत : जैसिंह विनोद)
* The First Two Nawabs of Awadh [https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.12411/page/n69/mode/2up]. A critical study based on original sources. With a foreword by Sir Jadunath Sarkar. (3-Capmpaign Against Bhagwant Singh Udaru, November 1735, Pages 44 to 49)

[[Category:People from Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:History of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:1680 births]]
[[Category:1735 deaths]]
[[Category:Rajput rulers]]
[[Category:Indian warriors]]

Bhagwant Rai Khichi - Revision history

Bot at 02:29, 28 November 2022